Mihono: Beautiful Harmony
by Ren Mizuki
Summary: They were both very silent, rarely speaking, but yet their eyes said it all. They could communicate without a word, but merely with glances and movements. They came together with a Beautiful Harmony. And the best way to express it? Danceing. Ren/Ita


He watched her from across the floor, as she separated herself from everyone else. Laughter and smoke clouded the room, both darkening and lightening the mood at the same time. His eyes followed her own as he watched her gaze at each couple dancing across the floor, specifically cleared for such an event.

He could see the wistfulness in those large, smoky grey eyes, surrounded by lush black lashes. She looked like an angel in that white dress. It caressed her curves graciously, emphasizing her long black hair that brushed against her elbows and lower back.

The neck-line dipped low, revealing collarbones and a smooth upper chest, hardened by muscles, but gentled by soft skin. He could the see the slight frill that added a snowflake effect to the dress. The edges of the bottom had the same frill, only more obvious. It came to about 3 inches above her knees and flared out, and she looked noticeably uncomfortable by the lack of fabric and show of skin.

The sleeves were a snowy transparent, smoothed across her already pale skin, making it appear translucent. They reached down to her wrists, tied to her middle fingers. The thin fabric was split in the middle, leaving her skin open under his stare.

A white rose had been placed in her hair, pulling back some of the heavy bangs that usually shadowed her pale face.

It was clear that Ino, Sakura, TenTen, and Temari had come up with the apparent attire. It was obvious Hinata had added the white Rose to the décor so as to make her more innocent in the seductive dress.

She looked so out of place and uncomfortable in the outfit, it was noticeable. He could barely make out the faint line of her kunai and shuriken holster strapped to her thigh. On the other, rested a white garter, but he didn't have to see it to know that it was there. All the girls that were there tonight wore one.

Even the innocent looking Hinata. The said girl was gripping onto Naruto's arms in order to keep herself upright from falling over, or tripping over his feet. The boy just continued to blush furiously, doing the same as to keep them both upright. She was a good dancer, but being near Naruto had her flustered by his presence. His hands fluttered against her light violet satin dress with nervousness.

The pink haired kunoichi was latched onto his brother's neck, dancing so close that there was no available space for air. And very unlike him, his brother didn't seem to find it annoying. Instead, he looked content as he placed his large hands on her fire red silk hips, guiding them against his to the beat of the music.

Ino flocked around tons of guys, never staying with one too long so as not to make the others jealous. She was on a role in her deep midnight purple dress, dancing dangerously close around the areas of indecent standards.

Shikamaru and Temari sat off to the side, staring at each other, talking mildly about random things. They both had bored looks on their faces, but their eyes told a different story. They were enjoying the dance party as much as the others.

TenTen, in her pink kimono cut dress, lounged around with Neji, smiling brightly, despite herself. He too, had a faint smile that flitted across his pale set lips.

Kiba, Shino, and Choji hung off to the side as well, surveying the area. Kiba winked at the occasional girl, while Shino remained stoic and Choji munched on his bag of snacks. Lee, Gai, Kakashi, and the other men just sat around tables, drinking a few cups of sake.

Gai, of course, fought to keep the battle out of Lee's hands.

His eyes roamed back to her, standing there against the wall, trying to look calm and collected instead of the nervous and agitated women she hid so well. A smirk settled on his lips at her demeanor. She was like a child in the grown-up section of the market, wanting to leave and play with her toys.

Except for the fact that her toys were kunai, shuriken, and other pointy objects.

Jiraiya stepped onto the stage, where the mike stood. Clearing his throat for attention, his eyes slid across the crowd, taking note of every woman's curves, build, and dress sizes in the one glance.

"Everybody, we will now begin the dance contest." He said in his baritone voice, smiling brightly at the discomfort of the men, and glee and excitement from the girls.

Tsunade walked on beside him, glaring at him, and whapping him upside the head. "That's enough, Jiraiya!" she ordered in her sharp voice, brushing him aside to take her place at the mike.

"Now these are the rules." The Hokage began, watching each nin carefully to see if they were paying attention.

"Everyone must dance, everyone must have a partner, and everyone will have at least one song to dance to by themselves so that everyone can watch." She said, smirking herself, at the reactions.

The most of the men groaned, while others like Sasuke and Neji only deepened their frowns. Shikamaru muttered something about being "troublesome." Itachi remained expressionless. Lee and Gai danced.

The women all grasped each other's hands, already calling out the names of the wanna-be-partners.

All women except for Ren.

Tsunade removed herself and Jiraiya from the stage easily, exiting to backstage so that they could gather their clip boards to begin Judging. Shizune followed soon after.

Sakura, TenTen, Hinata, Ino, and Temari moved over to where Ren stood, blocking Itachi's view. He could barely make out their words.

"Ren! Ren, who's going to be your partner?" Ino asked brightly, tugging on her left arm. Sakura did the same to her other.

"Yeah!? There's got to be somebody here you want to dance with!" she pushed, eager for some information.

Temari and TenTen looked her up and down, approving of the outfit. "Yeah, you should be able to get someone with that on. You're kinda hot, hon." Temari said, smiling in her own way.

Itachi raised a brow. "Kinda hot" ? That was an understatement.

He caught himself in his own thoughts, seeing that he was being consumed in them. Why was he watching her? Why was he staring? He had no business with the 15 year old girl. He was 19, and an ANBU. He should know better than to peek into the girl's affairs.

Even still, as his mind berated him for the act, he leaned forward slightly, caught up in the discussion.

--

Ren raised her eyes from the floor, where she had been staring at for the past 5 minutes after her searching gaze over the crowd. She could feel eyes on her, but couldn't find the source, and it bothered her. She wanted out of this stuffy place and crowd. She needed to be outside and breathe.

The midnight black-haired kunoichi had looked at each couple in wonder, trying to assess their emotions and actions to their partners. She felt confused, inwardly, of the fact that she never acted that way to anyone. It made her feel…empty, left out.

Her for head puckered into a frown before quickly disappearing while her friends appeared before her.

"Ren! Ren, who's going to be your partner?" Ino asked brightly, tugging on her left arm. Sakura did the same to Ren's other.

The girl smiled gently in fondness to the impatient girl. Despite her eager demeanor, she knew the girl would keep your back and stay calm during a mission.

"Yeah!? There's got to be somebody here you want to dance with!" Sakura pushed, eager for some information.

Turning her head to look at the pink haired girl, Ren's smile softened even more, matching Hinata's timid one. She shook her head shyly, not trusting her voice.

Temari and TenTen looked her up and down, approving of the outfit. "Yeah, you should be able to get someone with that on. You're kinda hot, hon." Temari said, smiling in her own way.

TenTen nodded as well. "Yup. You need some of that snow falling outside to help cool you down." She advised jokingly, smiling enthusiastically as well.

Hinata readjusted the rose in her hair, frowning slightly as she tried to fix it.

"G-guys? I don't think I l-like how this flower is in her hair." She said softly, gathering up her courage to continue talking. "Does the r-rose look right to you? Maybe we should have put in a white lotus…." She murmured.

Ren's eyes widened for a moment, before shaking her head, taking on of Hinata's hands into her own. "No, I like it. It's a wonderful dress. Thankyou, everyone." She said softly, her voice bell-like. She smiled at them all, a genuine smile that they rarely saw.

The other girls hesitated for a moment before returning their own, staring with concern at the Ren.

"Are you sure you're okay, Ren? You look uncomfortable… Does the dress fit wrong?" Ino asked, worried.

The Jinchuuriki female lied considerably well, and chose to use that ability at that moment. "No. Nothing is wrong, and I am okay. The dress fits wonderfully." She assured her friends.

They continued to stare at her for a moment, judging her facial expressions and movements that only a nin could judge and follow.

Ren stayed implacably still under their gazes, her face never changing to a different emotion, showing nothing what-so-ever.

The girls finally gave up with a huff and a sigh, admitting their defeat.

"Geeze, Ren, do you have to be so closed all the time?" Temari asked a bite in her tone.

The woman inwardly flinched at the words, like a wound to her heart. Outwardly, she looked torn, eyes wide, a hand creeping up to her heart, then to her throat for protection.

With a lot of nudging and quick hisses from the others, Temari looked at them oddly. "What?!" she hissed back, annoyed by the pokes and prods.

When they pointed at the hurt looking Ren, she inwardly berated herself for the harsh words. "Look, I'm sorry, Ren. I didn't mean for it to come out so harsh. You're just… hard to read, is all." She supplied, trying to make it sound better.

Ren raised her head, trying to calm her quick beating heart. "It's ok. It's not your fault… I… I just remembered something." She murmured, wincing slightly at the old memory, still fresh in her mind.

Sakura and Ino, knowing the girl well enough, decided to leave that put, knowing it was best not to delve into Ren's mind, for fear of encountering the harsh and cruel memories that dwelled there.

Hinata patted her shoulder in comfort, obviously feeling sad for her good friend that was so alike to her in many ways, besides appearance.

Noticing the downfall in the mood, Ren placed a fake smile on her lips, trying to lighten the surrounding aura.

"So. Who do you want your partners to be?" she asked, knowing fully well it would start their conversation.

Sakura smirked, her eyes lost and dreamy. "Sasuke-kun, of course. He dances surprisingly well…" she murmured, sighing for dramatic effect before giggling like a little girl.

Ino shrugged, looking smug. "Eh, I'll just pick a boy from the group over there." She said, turning her body half-way to a group of men. She waved at them, and they eagerly waved back, hoping to catch her attention.

Hinata laughed softly, raising a hand to her face, trying to cover her blush. "N-Naruto-kun said he would be my partner…." She said timidly, and the others jumped for joy at the thought of her and Naruto together. She had been crushing on him way past their school days. Even now, while they were all 15, she continued to fall for the boy, except now, it was more mature, and she understood her admiration better.

TenTen turned her head, refusing to blush in front of the all. "Neji said he would dance with me as well. He's a good dancer too." She said, blood rushing to her cheeks.

Hinata nodded vigorously as she answered, "Yes, he is. Father made us take classes when we were younger. It was a part of us learning manners. We took lessons, and he proved a nice male dancer. Hanabi couldn't stand it, and always hated going. She always used to feign a hurt ankle or twisted knee. I loved those classes dearly." She murmured, remembering one of her rare fond memories.

TenTen obviously seemed impressed by the way she raised her eye-brows. "Really, now? Let's see if he can handle my moves." She said with confidence, quite pleased with her discovery.

The girls burst into giggles, clutching their sides with their laughter. Hinata lifted her hand to her mouth like usual, laughing into it, while her face flushed from the excitement. Ren's shoulders shook, despite herself, as she laughed inwardly.

Without making it obvious, everyone looked at Ren, happy to see that she was finally opening up more, despite their early years together, when she rarely talked.

They all beamed at one another before Sakura nudged Ren again, her emerald eyes bright. "So….. Anyone out there that caught your eye?" she asked slyly, her smirk breaking into a full out grin.

Ren looked up, feeling eyes on her besides Sakura's and the girls. Her gaze caught with the elder Uchiha, leaning against the wall, his watchful eyes landing on hers the exact moment.

Her heart skipped a beat, the air stilled in her lungs. Her breathe caught in her chest as she stared into those onyx eyes.

--

His own eyes bored into hers. He watched as those smoky grey orbs widened slightly at the contact of his. He smirked at the reaction, wondering what was running through her mind at that moment.

Her girlfriends nudged her, shaking her arms to see if she was listening, and the midnight black haired Kunoichi finally moved from her frozen stance. It was like she stirred to life, breaking away from his gaze. She had a troubled look on her face, but she hid it well from the others.

What was so intriguing about this Kunoichi that had him continually looking at her, gauging her reactions, studying her movements? It was addicting to watch her, just observing her from the distance he was at. It made Itachi want to move forward, and come closer to her, just to see what her reaction would be to his nearness.

He felt some unknown force drawing him to her, her to him. It felt odd, a new revelation he had yet to encounter before, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

Why was it that this one girl happened to catch his interest out of the many that tailed him every day, wishing for attention from him? He had no idea, but he mulled over the thought continuously.

A sudden noise came from the stage as the two Sanin returned, capturing everyone's attention.

"Ok, everybody. Pick your partners now, and we will begin." Tsunade said, nodding her head for them to go ahead.

Everyone burst into a slight frenzy. Men tried moving to the sides, avoiding oncoming crashes of girls that tried to claim them as their partners.

His eyes followed Ren as she nervously glanced at him a few times, some unknown emotion sparking in her eyes. It looked awfully close to fear. Too much for his liking. Itachi watched her as she worried her bottom lip, teeth tugging at it fretfully. The group around her broke apart, going to their partners, but they kept an eye on her, watchful of who she would choose, or who would choose her.

The elder Uchiha saw a group of 3 men watching her as well, pointing and whispering to each other. He caught a few of their words.

"She looks untouchable… Think she has a date?" one asked, glancing over at her lone figure again.

"Naw… She's probably just waiting for someone to pick her. She might be too shy to do it herself." Another offered, nudging his friend, the first one who had spoken.

The third man looked at her, his facial expression worried. "You do know who that is, right? That's Ren Mizuki, the last Heiress to the Mizuki clan. She's the only one left from the massacre. It's said that she's also a Jinchurriki to the 7-tailed demon, Shiro Tora. A real beauty, that one, but she's always distant, never liking to talk to people much."

The other two looked at him. "Mizuki Ren?! Really? I didn't know she was still alive. You rarely see her. Last I heard she was a part of the ANBU Night Corps. Dangerous job, that is. It's said that they are like the ANBU, but they work mainly at night, thus giving them the name 'ANBU Night Corps.' Few are allowed in that organization. Hokage-sama hand-picks them for unknown reasons. They do assignation jobs specifically for her. The nin have no problem killing for the Hokage. They solely live for the village and the Hokage." One of the two men said.

Itachi listened intently to the conversation, absorbing as much information possible from the group of men. He was surprised at the status level of the girl. She looked fragile and young in his eyes. In fact, too young and fragile to do much damage that they said she did. The men had said Ren was a killer. Well, they were all killers, but she, this small little female, was a part of a special team that worked together for the Hokage specifically to assassinate people, without leaving a trace behind.

Nudging the other, one grinned. "Sounds like a bitch to me. How about you go over and ask her? It's said she likes to wear black leather on her missions. Maybe she'll show you some of her outfits if she decides to take you home." He said, waggling his eye-brows.

Itachi growled deep in his throat, unknowing that he did so. He did not like where the conversation was heading. The elder Uchiha brother watched as one departed from the group, sauntering over to Ren, trying to look cool in front of her.

Raising a brow, Itachi let out a shot of breath, a small chuckle escaping his lips. He looked like a gazelle, running to her with large doe eyes.

The man stalked up to her, placing a hand directly beside her head, where it rested against the wall. He leaned in, closing up some of the distance between his head and her own.

"Hey there. The name's Hanami Koso. Yours?" he asked politely.

Ren didn't move her gaze where it had been watching all her friends come close to their partners. Itachi watched her carefully, gauging her reaction. She didn't move a muscle as his threatening form loomed over hers.

"Mizuki Ren." She answered simply, her voice small, yet clear as she said it in a monotone, warning that she did not want to be messed with.

Itachi smirked, inwardly proud at her for not falling under his spell so easily. She warned him first, which was the polite thing to do.

Not taking the hint, Koso continued on. "So, Ren-chan, do you have a partner?" he asked softly, leaning closer to whisper it in her ear.

Her eyes widened a fraction as her body and mind fought against each other. Her body wanted to attack the intruder of her space, while her mind tried to reason that it was ok.

Itachi studied this carefully, pondering what she would do next. He watched her as she took a deep breath, after having released the one she had been holding within her chest.

"No." she said stiffly, glaring at him out of the corner of her eyes. Her mind had one over, clearly, as she had not thrown him through the wall.

_Good girl._ Itachi thought, before shaking his head, wondering why he was thinking that way. This Kunoichi was messing with his head.

Smirking, Koso didn't give up so easily. "Well, may I be honored to be your partner?" he asked, firmly trapping her body with his own, and his words.

Itachi saw her hands flex at her sides. She seemed caught, not wanting to be impolite, but clearly not wanting to dance with him. His nearness bothered her greatly, and she desperately wanted to push him away.

Suddenly, Ren released her fists, relaxing them at her sides. Lifting her head, she stared at Koso and smiled politely. "No thank you."

Koso blinked with shock, un-expecting this answer from her. She handled it very well, respectively, something expected from her clan and status.

But Ren hadn't finished yet, she continued on. "You see, I did not come to dance. I am here mainly to watch over my friends. There is security here, and I intend to fulfill that job. " she said sweetly, tilting her head to the side and giving him a dazzling smile.

So why was Itachi the only one able to see that it was fake?

Koso stood there stunned, but it only lasted for a minute. "But Ren-chan, there is already security here, and Hokage-sama said that everyone had to dance. You do not want to disobey her, do you?" he asked, groping for anything he could use to get her to dance with him.

Suddenly, her eyes turned icy cold, flashing their glacier blue as her anger was sparked. "Do you question my loyalty to her?" she asked in a low voice, the aura around her shifting considerably.

Koso froze instantly, on guard at her dangerous air. Trying to regain what little dignity he had, he tried to continue. "O-Of course not… I-I was just saying…. Would y-you please dance w-with me? It would be a kind thing to do." He said meekly.

Her eyes immediately softened, seeing no more of the man as a threat, but a mere weakling, begging to dance with her.

"I do not dance." She said simply, her voice growing distant and cold again. "Not anymore. Not in front of people." She murmured, her eyes becoming lost and hazy with memories.

Having a sudden burst of courage, Koso grabbed for her hand, prepared to drag her out onto the dance floor where she would have to dance with him.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" he encouraged, trying to pull on her to make her budge, but she didn't move, her eyes still distant as she was locked in memories.

At this point, Koso began to grow angry as he tugged harder. "Damnit, what's your problem? I've tried being nice, but all you're being is a stubborn bitch! Come on, Jinchurriki, let's dance. Maybe if you're good, I'll protect you from everyone else, since they hate you. I'll take care of you!" he sneered, pulling roughly.

Ren let out a small hiss of pain as both her memories and reality crashed together. Trying to jerk her arm back to her, she failed to succeed as she did not use her full power, trying to look good in front of the others.

"Oi! Jinchuuriki, let's go! You don't wanna make a scene, do you?" Koso grumbled, his grip tightening on her wrist.

It was then, that Itachi slipped in. one second he was by the wall, and the other he was there.

"Are you trying to mess with my date, Hanami Koso?" he asked in his deep baritone voice, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The other nin jerked under Itachi's touch, visibly shaking with slight fear.

"U-Uchiha-sam-ma." He answered stiffly.

Itachi looked down at the hand clasping Ren's wrist tightly. Finger-like bruises began to form on her pale skin. His eyes narrowed just a fraction before he looked up at Koso again, a neutral cold appearing in his eyes.

"And pray tell me why you are hurting her in such an ungentlemanly fashion?"

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**A/N-**

**WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4, 002 words! Probably my longest chapter ever! I would have kept going, but I wanted to hang everyone in suspense, and keep it for another chapter. Hahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Ok! Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! Review please! **

**Domo Arigato!**

**Your always forgetful, yet loving Authoress.**

**Ren Mizuki**


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